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New Waffle House opens along I-22

Posted
Wednesday, April 5, 2017 7:59 pm

By NICOLE SMITH, Daily Mountain Eagle

Jasper’s new Waffle House opened early Wednesday morning — despite stormy conditions — to a crowd of hungry customers.

Located off U.S. Interstate 22 on Carl Cannon Boulevard, the words “scattered, smothered and covered” could be heard as Waffle House employees prepared hash browns to each customer’s liking Wednesday morning, while they were singing along to ‘80s hits playing from the restaurant’s jukebox.

The new Waffle House’s first day of business began with thunderstorms traveling through Walker County, but that didn’t stop customers from dining in to enjoy some of their favorite menu items, such as the All Star Special with eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns and a buttery waffle, along with a cup of their classic coffee.

“Business has been great so far. It’s steady, and we’re excited about it. We had a really good pop early this morning, despite the weather,” Waffle House Area Manager Seth Walker said Wednesday morning. “We’ve had great success in this market with the other Waffle House restaurant that’s in town, and we wanted another one here in Jasper.”

Walker said their newest location will employ 40 to 50 people and be open 24 hours each day.

“There’s always the myth that the key gets dropped in the front sidewalk after we open,” Walker said with a laugh.

More Waffle House restaurants will be placed along the 213-mile stretch of I-22 in the coming years.

“This is really our first restaurant off I-22 that we’ve opened up, and we’re planning on opening up several more on I-22,” Walker said. “We’re looking forward to being a part of the community and offering jobs, opportunities and careers for the local community here in the Jasper area.”

As customers entered Waffle House on Wednesday, they were greeted warmly — a standard, polite practice that Waffle House employees fulfill with each person.

“We’re a family business. It’s been that way since our existence,” Walker said. “We want to be ingrained in the community. We want first name basis. We want all of that local, open kitchen, diner style feel that has kind of went away in the U.S. We’re keeping it going down here in the South.”